‘Winds Of Winter’ Release Date: George R.R. Martin Doesn’t See Anyone Else Finishing ‘Game Of Thrones’ Universe

While fans are still eager for a Winds of Winter release date confirmation, author George R.R. Martin remains hush about whether he’s already finished penning the highly-anticipated novel. Regardless of the issues that might arise, one thing is clear – GRRM doesn’t want other writers to finish his Game of Thrones universe.

Martin recently attended a book signing event for “The Expanse,” the series written by James S.A. Corey, a pseudonym used by novelists Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. When one fan asked Martin through his blog if he would allow Abraham and Franck to contribute to A Song of Ice and Fire, GRRM said he wouldn’t.

“I don’t see anyone else ever writing (legally) in that universe,” Martin responded when the fan further asked if other writers could help.

GRRM didn’t provide details for his decision, but in an interview dated 2013, the Winds of Winter author hinted that the writer’s wishes never really mattered to his or her descendants.

“One thing that history has shown us is eventually these literary rights pass to grandchildren or collateral descendents, or people who didn’t actually know the writer and don’t care about his wishes. It’s just a cash cow to them.”

Speculations have surfaced that the Winds of Winter release date might take place in February 2016 before the airing of Game of Thrones Season 6. However, according to Five Thirty Eight, reliable tipster Jeff, or BrydenBFish, claims it is unlikely for Winds of Winter to come out before the show’s sixth season because it would take time to edit the manuscript and print the books.

HBO is set to release Game of Thrones Season 6 in four months’ time. Many initially thought that the Winds of Winter release date would come before the show’s airing. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff reportedly want GRRM to give the program a final personal touch because there’s no way he can finish A Dream of Spring, the last book in the series, before the show concludes.

Fans are excited for the sixth installment in GRRM’s popular saga to find out if Jon Snow lives. If there’s one character that is certainly alive in Winds of Winter, it’s Stannis Baratheon. Huffington Post reports that Martin will include a massive twist in the book, although he still hesitates over whether he will pursue such direction.

“I’m still weighing whether to go that direction or not. It’s a great twist. It’s easy to do things that are shocking or unexpected, but they have to grow out of characters. They have to grow out of situations. Otherwise, it’s just being shocking for being shocking.”

Is the twist about Daenerys Targaryen and how she will reportedly start another civil war in Westeros? Armed with her dragons and army, it is not impossible to imagine a bloodbath.

Actress Emilia Clarke also told Entertainment Tonight that she wanted Daenerys to end up victorious. Some fans are holding on to the theory that Daenerys and Jon are the ones who will rule over Westeros because the saga carries the words “fire” and “ice.”

“I don’t know because it would be like a massive hair-off. And I know that he thinks that he has better hair than I do, but I do. So I think it would just turn into a big head and shoulders advert, so I don’t know.”

Clarke likewise reminded fans that the Lord Commander’s dead, but many weren’t completely convinced because Kit Harington was photographed multiple times on the set of Game of Thrones Season 6. Clarke joked that Harington simply misses the cast members, that’s why he was often “snooping around” their set.

[Photo via Kevin Winter/Getty Images]